This was even if the United States urges Japan to do so in order to normalise beef trade.

Japan is set to ease a ban on US beef imports after a panel at Japan's independent Food Safety Commission said that beef from American cattle aged 20 months or younger is safe if risk materials that could transmit mad cow disease are removed.

If Japan limits imports to beef from these younger cattle, the volume of imports is likely to be only 10 per cent to 20 per cent of the amount Japan imported before the ban was imposed in 2003, government and industry officials estimate.

The United States intends to raise the cattle age limit to 30 months in future talks with Japan to increase exports, they say.

Nakagawa acknowledged that safety measures against mad cow disease in Japan are stricter than internationally accepted standards. However, he said it would be difficult to ease food safety regulations if Japanese consumers want strict rules and if Japanese scientists support them.